toronto didn’t play this weekend and still managed to move into the top six in the east. that’s raptors culture at work.
— alex (@steven_lebron) February 6, 2022
Toronto Raptors All-Star Fred VanVleet has committed to the Three-Point Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2022
Evaluating your Raptors trade proposals: Who says no? – The Athletic
To Raptors: Cory Joseph, Kelly Olynyk
To Pistons: Goran Dragic, Malachi Flynn, 2022 first-round pick (top-10 protected)– Athul J.
Who says no? Dwane Casey (Just kidding — Raptors)
Barring a better option, the Raptors might do this. However, I believe they would prefer to skew a bit younger than this. A couple of 30-year-olds, with one having Olynyk’s injury history, might be a bit rich for the pick. Maybe if they could turn the first into two seconds, this happens.
Can the Raptors contend for a top-6 spot in the East and avoid the play-in round? – Video – TSN
With three wins against the top two teams in the East amid their five-game win streak, what has clicked for the Raptors? Can Toronto contend for a top-6 spot and avoid the play-in round? Josh Lewenberg weighs in.
The Raptors are already thinking playoffs. It’s never too soon | The Star
Forget for a minute how they’ve cut back the rotation to a playoff-level seven or eight, and just the way they are conducting themselves. Think about the things they are asking of their top players, the way they are training them for that cauldron of the physical post-season. That’s the most significant part of the long-range plan.
“It goes to more than just playing through hits. It’s things like just getting the ball,” coach Nick Nurse said Sunday, as the Raptors prepared to take on the Hornets in Charlotte on Monday night. “All of a sudden just getting open at different areas and getting the ball, that becomes a physical, lower-body, upper-body kind of battle.
“You’re battling for position, you’re battling to get open, you’re using your legs, you’re using your wide base, you’re using your strength, all those kinds of things. So just stronger and more physical always helps.”
The Raptors spend what little practice time they have on dealing with the physical nature of the game. Nurse said he was working with OG Anunoby on Sunday about handling the swarming double-teams, the swatting hands, the crowding that make playoff games so hard and so special. It’s impossible to completely replicate that in practice, but realizing it’s coming and being forceful in games will pay off in the long run.
“We’re trying to sharpen our tool box a little bit,” all-star guard Fred VanVleet said Sunday. “I think that helps a lot because we’ve been in some really physical games. A lot of times we’re dictating the physicality in games.
“There are not many calls being made. You’ve got to be able to adapt and adjust. Just having a whole lot of scenarios and different circumstances and adversity to go through as a team, I think it makes you better in the long run. We’ve seen our share of it so far this year.”
Specifically, Nurse and the staff are asking more of Pascal Siakam and Anunoby, the team’s most significant post threats. They don’t want either of them to take the contact and complain about it; that does nothing for anyone. What Nurse wants is for both of them to fight through it, to finish plays despite getting clobbered and move on to the next possession.
They want them to play playoff basketball now.
Report: Toronto Raptors Fred VanVleet to participate in 3-point shootout – Raptors HQ
With VanVleet now participating on both Saturday and Sunday, and Precious Achiuwa and Scottie Barnes participating in Friday’s Rising Stars game, that means we have a local hooper to cheer for each night!
VanVleet is shooting 39.3% from downtown this year, on an insane (at least to me) 9.9 attempts per game. He’s cooled off slightly from that insane hot streak he had from mid-December to mid-January, where he shot 43.7% on 12.6 (!) attempts per game over a 12-game span, but hey, 39% is still pretty dang great.
Of course the raw numbers don’t account for the massive clutch threes he’s been hitting all year, perhaps none more memorable than the one that cost him $15,000:
That shot and celebration alone makes his selection in the 3-point content mandatory, as far as I’m concerned!
So far, no other participants have been named, but I would be pretty surprised if Trae Young, James Harden and Steph Curry aren’t soon named as well.
Now — are we done with All-Star news? Maybe, but maybe not! I’m still in Pascal Siakam’s corner when it comes to injury replacements for Kevin Durant, and hey, don’t you think a power forward averaging a career-high 5+ assists per game sounds like a pretty good addition to the Saturday night skills contest? Siakam last participated in the skills challenge in 2019, narrowly losing to eventual champion Bam Adebayo in the second round. I think it’s time for a rematch!
VanVleet commits to three-point event at NBA all-star weekend: Report | Toronto Sun
First-time all-star Fred VanVleet plans to make the most of his weekend in Cleveland by committing to the three-point contest, according to a report.
Voted as an Eastern Conference reserve by the league’s coaches, VanVleet’s participation in the three-point event adds to his profile when the game’s greats gather in Cleveland for the all-star weekend.
The actual game will be played Feb. 20 at Quickens Loan Arena. The three-point contest and the slam dunk event, among other tests of skills, take place the night before.
VanVleet isn’t known for his hops, but he can shoot the lights out when he’s in rhythm from beyond the arc.
Some of the game’s elite shooters, from Larry Bird to Steph Curry, have stolen the show at the three-point event.
The most memorable Raptors moment at an all-star weekend came in 2000, when Vince Carter set the basketball world on fire with his high-wire act in the dunk contest held in Oakland, Calif.
Raptors Must Focus on Chemistry as Trade Deadline Nears – Sports Illustrated
The NBA isn’t like NBA2K where you can just swap players in and out and things magically fit together perfectly. Every player who joins the Raptors either mid-season or in the offseason talks about how complicated Toronto’s defensive schemes are. Even this year, it took the Raptors almost half the year to gel defensively and become one league’s top defenses over the past two weeks.
Offensively, the Raptors have a good thing going for them right now. The pecking order has been established. Pascal Siakam and VanVleet run things offensively, Gary Trent Jr. mixes in with his fair share of shots, especially when he’s hot, and Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby play their role to a T. There’s a cohesiveness that’s come from playing together.
“We all treat each other as equals and we’re all growing and developing into our own,” VanVleet said earlier in the week.
That’s why finding the perfect fit for a deadline deal is so difficult. Take for example Myles Turner, the Indiana Pacers’ big who on paper fits exactly what Toronto needs. He’s a three-and-D big man who would immediately stabilize the Raptors’ frontcourt with some much-needed defensive rebounding talent. But consider why Turner wants to be traded. He told The Athletic “it’s clear that I’m not valued as anything more than a glorified role player here, and I want something more, more opportunity. … It’s clear to me that, just numbers-wise, I’m not valued as more than a rotational role player, and I hold myself in a higher regard than that.” In Toronto, his role would be the same, if not smaller.
Unlike in the draft where the general philosophy is to select the most talented, best player available, the Raptors must seriously consider chemistry ahead of next week’s deadline. Players like Gasol don’t come around all that often. So a word of advice that Toronto’s front office surely knows: At this time of year, proceed with caution.
Red-hot Raptors roll into Charlotte hoping to keep win streak alive | Toronto Sun
Admittedly, Nurse knows there’s still a lot of improvement that is required.
He also realizes the Raptors are never out of games, just like they are never in complete control of games.
As Nurse held court Sunday during his Zoom call, he took a moment to offer an overall analysis of his team.
Above everything else, he’s seeing a connectivity on the defensive end.
Every time the Raptors take to the floor, there’s a chance of posting a win.
The Raptors have been good for more than a month and are beginning to find a rhythm and a substitution pattern that allows them to remain competitive.
“When you watch the close games, it feels like they are making the right plays,” said Nurse. “I’m happy because they seem to be, first and foremost, playing all the way through, whether we’re down eight or up 10.”
Nurse would acknowledge how players are making the right decisions with the ball and off the ball.
Another area of pride has been the team’s composure.
“We’re really getting connected on the defensive end,” he said.
Care factor was a term used by Nurse when helping put into perspective the inroads this group has made.
“If we continue to have the care factor, I think we’ll win our share of close games,” he said.
The Raptors have evolved into a good team featuring players who have turned into quality pieces.
As currently constituted, there aren’t enough when looking down the road come playoff time to mount a serious threat, but the Raptors won’t be a quick out.
The NBA’s trade deadline is Thursday.
It would surprise many if the Raptors part with any of their core pieces.
